


A (Mostly) Tara-Normal Episode

by PuddingEarl



Series: Beyond the Woods [2]
Category: Heart of the Woods (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 16:29:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29456766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PuddingEarl/pseuds/PuddingEarl
Summary: A direct sequel to Deeper Into the WoodsIt's been a year and a bit since the Taranormal crew went to Arkrick. Almost two and a half since the events of Eysenfeld. Now that she's finished with her film degree, Maddie decides it's time to return to working on Taranormal. Naturally, that means Abigail is going to be part of the production as well. For their first time back, Tara has a brilliant idea in mind. A trip to a tropical island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean to investigate a haunted hotel. It's the most Tara-normal episode one could imagine, with absolutely no way of going wrong, or running into dangerous supernatural occurrences. Just what Maddie needs to get used to the new set up of working with a much larger than usual crew.
Relationships: Abigail Dalsing/Madison Raines, Tara Bryck/Morgan Fisher
Series: Beyond the Woods [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2163648
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	A (Mostly) Tara-Normal Episode

**Author's Note:**

> Here it finally is! The sequel that everyone's been waiting for. Or, y'know, occasionally wondering if I'd actually deliver. Whichever works. Small pre-amble that's not at all important, about 3-4 months ago they put out a cute little spin-off of the goodbye to Maddie episode and also Taranormal being rebranded as "I Told You So." So uh...that kinda messed with Deeper Into the Woods. So I'm gonna include a few small nods to that here to explain away what I can, and we're all just going to pretend anything I can't explain away didn't happen. Sound good? Good.
> 
> Second note, I'm gonna be doing the music thing again, but there might be some other non-soundtrack sources creeping in here and there. A soundtrack made for a snowy game has a lot of cold pieces, as it should, but not many warm ones, and uh...a tropical island wants lots of warm songs, so I'll have to find a solution to that. And while I'm talking about the soundtrack, I'm SO MAD I only JUST worked out in my last playthrough that "Why Am I Here?" is Maddie's theme. So expect to hear more of that this time!

** Maddie **

_Music:_ [ _Into Another World_ ](https://youtu.be/_Hg6mrtinLE)

In my time with Taranormal, I ended up travelling a lot. I've been on a lot of planes, going to a lot of places. In all that time, I've never ridden on such a loud, shakey plane as the one I'm on now.

Looking around the cabin, I'm amazed to see that the others are all somehow asleep.

I can't sleep on planes on the best of days, but this one is especially bad.

At least they're getting rest. Unfortunately for me I'm going to have to take a nap shortly after the plane lands, and I'll miss out on whatever initial fun Tara wants to get up to.

I suppose this sort of thing was what I was signing up for when I agreed to return to Taranormal a little over a year ago.

It took me the better part of the year to finish up my degree, but I got it. Tara and Morgan made it to my graduation, before jumping on a plane to Oregon that night to film something about a Big Foot sighting out that way.

Predictably, nothing came of it. Once they got back, two weeks later, we all got together and began to make a plan for what was coming next.

To my surprise, Tara was actually prepared.

"So, since this is your first time back Mads, and it's getting into summer soon, I thought I'd actually deliver your wish from Arkrick. Kind of." Tara explained. I looked at her confused. What on earth had I wished for back at Arkrick?"

"I present to you...Holloway Island! Home to sunny beaches, a killer resort, some great atmosphere, and most importantly, a haunted hotel!" Tara exclaimed, throwing a brochoure in front of me.

"Why did I wish for this?" I replied. Tara gave me the deadest stare I could imagine.

"Remember? When we were out interviewing people, you complained about the snowy woods, and I said I'd find somewhere warm and tropical for the next monster. I can't...y'know...promise the monster, but at least I found somewhere warm and tropical." Tara said.

The fact she bothered to remember such a meaningless detail from our banter was unbelieveably touching. So even though the haunted hotel sounded like every other fake ghost we'd seen before, I took her up on it.

Holloway Island, unfortunately, only had a small airport. A single plane flew out to the island twice a week. It was a six hour flight, and it left at 10pm at night. It was one of the last flights out. With the timezones accounted for, it would land at 7am, dropping it's passengers off for an exciting first day of playing on the beach.

Or in my case, sleeping in my room for a few hours. At least we're going to be here for a month, so a day or two being out of it wouldn't hurt any.

I'd done a bit of reading on the island. It was discovered by a Captain Andrew Holloway, back in the 1700s, and became a small British colony. It didn't have much going for it however, so it ended up being a resupply port and not much else until eventually it was given back to the native population.

Given the outcomes of some similiar stories, this one is surprisingly peaceful. The hotel in question dates back to that time, though it's been entirely renovated to the point of being a prime example of a Ship of Theseus.

The ghost stories also date back that far, which I suppose might answer that philosophical dilemna, at least as far as hauntings are concerned. Unfortunately there's not a lot of information online, which appears to be intentional.

It reeks of tourist trap. But for once, I don't care. A good, simple, fake haunting is the best way I could imagine to return to Taranormal.

I'm dragged away from my thoughts as the plane rocks for a second. We should be getting close, so I lean to look out the window. Below us, there's nothing but ocean, but I can see that it's colour is slowly starting to return. I guess the sun is rising.

I look over at the others. For once, I won't have to wake them up for our destination. That's a nice change.

I lean my head back against the chair, and let my eyes drift closed. While I can't sleep on planes really, I can at least doze a bit, and I'm going to need it if I want to get to the hotel on my feet.

When I open my eyes, sunlight is flooding into the cabin, and the stewards are coming through to deliver breakfast.

I'm a little surprised, to be perfectly honest. With how early in the day we're landing, I'd expected breakfast to not be included in the flight.

The others are awake too. On the other side of the plane I can see Tara staring out the window like a child.

"Good morning Madison. Did you sleep well?" Abigail asks. I smile at her.

"A little bit. I only dozed off a little while ago." I reply.

"That's good. The captain said we'd be coming in to land in about half an hour."

"Just enough time to eat, I suppose." The stewards pull their cart up to a stop, and I'm offered a choice between sausage and eggs or a salad.

I've been on enough planes to know that calling anything they serve sausage or eggs is being generous, so I opt for the salad.

It comes with a bread roll I know will go ignored, and yogurt which I'm surprised to say I'm looking forward to.

I set it aside, and start on the salad. It's not much of an improvement over the sausage and eggs, but it's still an improvement.

Beside me Abigail is eating the sausage and eggs, and looking very disappointed. I don't blame her, this is only her second big flight, and the first one she was so astounded by the world the novelty of food on a plane alone made her happy.

I'm both sad, and very proud, to see how much she's adjusted to the world since then. She's even gotten her license, and is making a bit of progress on learning how to drive. It's going slowly, but she's trying, and I couldn't be prouder.

At the same time however, those first 18 months where I could regularly show her new things were among the best times in my life, and I miss seeing the way Abigail's face would light up at things I thought were normal.

We finish eating quickly. The yogurt is just as good as I'd expected it to be. Once we're done the stewards come through once more to clean away the trash, and then we begin the landing.

It's just as infuriatingly boring as every other landing. The windows give me little in the way of entertainment, since they're just looking out at the ocean, and there's nothing else to do but wait. The plane rocks too much to try and read a book, and all electronics have to be switched off for the moment.

Finally, we land, and the plane comes to a gentle stop. Disembarking is equally painful, as we have to wait for the pile of people in front of us to shuffle off.

Then it's our turn to get off the plane. We step out the door, and my breath catches.

Ahead of us towers a massive island, a mountain in the ocean, covered in greenery.

We're not even on it yet, the runway being built on a seperate, smaller island just off the coast of the main city. We step down the stairway, and come to a stop, staring at the beautiful sight before us.

I glance over at Abigail beside me, and I can't help but smile.

The days of seeing her wonder at new things haven't passed quite yet it seems.

** Abigail **

_Music:[Snowy Days](https://youtu.be/IcoB96zkDg0)_

The ocean is unlike anything I've ever seen before. It's one of the most beautiful sights I've ever laid my eyes on.

The most beautiful sight is standing beside me, like she so often is.

The ocean itself isn't a new sight. I saw it on the flight back to America, and again on our first trip to the beach.

But here it's something else. The water is so clear and blue. I take a few steps forward and lean up on my toes to try and peer down at it as best I can.

As expected, I can see to the bottom with ease, and pick out the fish swimming around the island. Looking behind us, the ocean stretches out into the horizon, seemingly going on forever in this same, beautiful shade.

I almost wish it did go on forever like this. A world like that must be truly exquisite.

"Alright, let's get going, yeah?" Tara announces, breaking the moment.

"Please. I think I'm already half dead." Madison replies. I smile at her. I feel bad that she can't sleep when we travel very well. At least she got a small nap. Hopefully she'll be up in time for lunch. I don't want to spend my first day here without her.

Morgan takes the lead, her time as Taranormal manager really shining through. She guides us to the end of the runway, and into the small terminal building. It's barely more than a few rooms, which open out onto a small pier.

We wait for a little over ten minutes for our luggage to arrive, and head out onto the pier to wait for the ferry that will take us to the island.

I take the opportunity to stare out at the ocean, and the island itself. It's simply wonderful, and better than I could have ever envisioned it.

The fact I could envision it at all was a little surprising to me when I found out where we were going. The closest I have in my memories to a tropical island is our trips to the beach. I see now that they don't compare at all. Despite that, I've been alive again long enough that I've seen enough things on television, in movies, or in games to picture an island like this one.

It's a bittersweet feeling. Seeing how much I've grown is nice. But by contrast, the dulling of what each new experience can promise hurts. Travelling to see the world simply isn't as exciting as it was at first.

Or it wasn't. Looking at the scene before me, I'm starting to wonder if perhaps there's still more to experience.

I hope there is.

_Music:[Warm Wishes](https://youtu.be/IcoB96zkDg0)_

"Ferry's here." Morgan announces. I'm pulled out of my thoughts, back to the pier that we're standing on. Sure enough, there's a boat waiting for us.

I'm sceptical of calling it a ferry. All the ferries I've seen have been multi-story boats, with a comfortable interior. This boat is only a single story, and lacks a real interior, having only a small roof to shelter from the sun.

"Do you think this is one of those boats that has a glass floor?" Tara asks.

I pause.

What?

Is that actually a thing?

I look at Madison concerned.

"I hope not. I don't think I could handle that right now." She replies.

"Is that...safe?" I ask. The two of them look at me. Despite her sleepy expression, Madison smiles at me. My heart sings for a second at the sight of her.

"It is. It's very reinforced glass, and usually they have several layers of it." She explains. I nod.

"Good. Why would you want that anyway?"

"So you can see the fish." Tara explains. I pause again. That does sound appealing.

"Are you coming?" Morgan calls. We look over to see she's already boarded the ferry. We quickly rush over to join her.

To my relief, the boat does not have a glass floor. I overhear Tara asking about it to the captain, who tells her that's a service offered on the island, if she wants to check it out. I try to blot out the thought, and focus on something else.

It's not hard to do right now. The water is simply beautiful, and as I peer over the edge I can see the fish below us. In fact, I can see all the way to the bottom of the ocean.

"Please be careful. I don't want my first memory of this island to be you falling in the ocean." Madison teases me. I turn and smile at her.

"Don't worry. I'm sure that with how tired you are, your first memory will be waking up after your nap, regardless of what I do right now." I reply. Madison laughs.

"God I hope so. I don't want to remember being this tired." She leans over and gives me a quick kiss. "So don't do anything that will change that."

"Well, when you put it like that, I suppose I should be careful." We fall into a comfortable silence. I don't bother looking over the edge anymore. There'll be plenty of time for ocean-gazing later. Instead I focus on the island.

Now that we're getting closer I can make out the city. It's an interesting mix of modern and more traditional buildings. There's a large modern port, surrounded by a few large warehouses to one side of the city. That connects directly into the suburbs, which go for a while before it develops into what looks like, for lack of a better word, the CBD. It's just a few taller, more important looking buildings. Finally, a bit further out there's a large building right near the beach. It looks like that's the resort.

I wait for the boat to turn, and head for the port. It never does. Instead we sail right up to a small wooden dock near the resort. We disembark, and immediately there's a guide waiting for us. Some of the people in the group simply wave to them as they head off. I can only assume they're natives who had business off the island. The rest of us follow their lead up to the resort.

They're talking about the island, but I'm too distracted to really hear what they're saying. At the end of the docks I can see a number of cabanas scattered across the beach. It's surreal how much they resemble the pictures I've seen in the past. Most of them are small buildings, seemingly only meant to provide shelter from the sun, but there's one that looks like a restaurant or bar. If it is, I think I'd like to find a chance to go with just Madison.

I glance over at her again. She seems just as uninterested in the tour as I am. Primarily because she looks like she's about to pass out on the spot. I take her hand, and turn my attention back to the walk.

Thankfully it's not long before we've walked into the reception of the resort.

_Music:[Cold Comforts](https://youtu.be/ctcn1pLmdtE)_

The first thing I notice is that it's cool, almost cold, in here. It's refreshing after the humidity outside. It's still early morning, and I can only imagine how bad it will get later. Morgan steps forward and handles getting us checked in, before returning with the keys.

"We're on the third floor. Let's get going." She says, leading the way to the elevators.

"Hey, so, I didn't check. We're not sharing a single room right?" Tara asks.

"No, we're not. We've got ajoining rooms, so that we can work together better, but we've got our own rooms." Morgan explains.

"Oh good. I didn't want to, y'know..." She trails off.

"Have to go without sleeping with your girlfriend?" Madison asks. Tara blushes a bit and coughs as we start making our way upstairs.

"Yeah. That." She says. It amuses me how even still Tara gets a little embarrassed about her relationship.

I can't say I don't sympathise. I still get blown away when I remember that I'm dating Madison. I still don't think I deserve her. I'd never tell her that however. She's told me off enough times I know better. I know she thinks something similar. That just makes me all the more bewildered.

The elevator comes to a stop, and Morgan leads us down a few hallways, before stopping in front of a pair of doors.

"Here we are."

"I'll take our key." I offer, holding out a hand.

"Thank you." Madison says softly. Morgan hands over the key, and we both fumble with our doors for a second. Then we're in, and Madison is barging past me towards the bed.

"Hey, while she's napping, do you want to go and swim for a bit?" Tara asks. I think about it for a second.

"That sounds good. I'll come knock on your door when we're settled?"

"Sure, see you then." Tara replies. She and Morgan step into their rooms, and I do the same with mine. Madison has already collapsed onto our bed, and she looks like she's about to pass out.

"Not yet you don't." I tell her. "We need to get you changed and under the covers." Madison groans, but climbs back up and starts undressing. She's slow and sloppy, so I step forward to help her. It's a quick process to get her out of her clothes, something we're well practiced in. Soon enough she's sitting in front of me in nothing but her panties, and I can't help but blush ever so slightly at how beautiful she is.

"Can I just sleep like this?" Madison asks. I nod.

"Sure." She's obviously too tired to try and get dressed properly. I help her to her feet, and pull the covers aside to let her in. She climbs into bed, and I tuck her in properly. "Sleep well." I say. Madison smiles a little, but doesn't respond. I can't tell if she's even awake at this point.

Once I know she's settled, I turn to my luggage. Time to get changed for the pool.

** Tara **

_Music:[Episode One](https://youtu.be/MQbiV_1aU7M)_

"This is the best!" I declare as we step out of the building, and into the pool area. There's a few pools scattered around, from little wading ones for kids, to deeper ones meant for swimming. All of them are clearly built for relaxing rather than actually swimming though. Which is good, because I have no intention of putting effort into anything here except ghost hunting. And even that can wait a day or two.

"It's a shame Madison can't join us." Abigail replies.

"I'm sure she'd just lounge around anyway. Mads hasn't ever enjoyed pools that much."

"I'm sure she could find something to enjoy here." Abigail's tone carries that hint of slyness I've come to recognize as being innuendo.

Even though we got along great at first, I've learnt in the years since that I really didn't get Abigail at all when we first met. I've since picked up on a lot of things that her quiet, charming demeanor manage to hide. It's just made me even more convinced her and Mads are perfect for each other.

"Yeah, I guess..." I take a few steps forward as casually as I can. "Race you to the pool!" I immediately take off running for the pool. I can hear Abigail laughing and yelling at me as she gives chase.

I make it to the edge of the pool first, and hurl myself into the water in a rather impressive cannonball, if I say so myself. I expect to feel the water move with Abigail joining me, but it never comes. When I emerge, I see her standing by the edge of the pool, looking mortified as she stares behind me.

I turn slowly, not sure what to expect. Behind me are three middle-aged women, all looking very disgruntled to have been splashed by me.

"Oh, uh, sorry." I offer with a sheepish smile. "I didn't see you there, and, y'know, I was racing a friend so I wanted to get in quickly." The women do not look impressed. One of them pulls her hair out of her face, and I can see she's frowning a bit.

"Hey, are you...Taranormal?" She asks. My smile abruptly gets a lot less sheepish.

"It's just Tara, the show's called Taranormal, but yeah, that's me!" I reply.

"No way! It's so nice to meet you!" The woman says, stepping a bit closer and offering a hand. I shake it quickly.

"Nice to be met! Sorry again for splashing you."

"Oh don't worry about it. I totally understand." The woman says. The other two don't seem nearly as pleased.

"Is she...famous, or something?" One of them asks.

"Yeah, she does a series about paranormal stuff!" The first replies.

"Oh, well, we'll leave you to it then." The third laughs.

"I take it you're the only smart one then?" I tease as they walk away. The woman laughs a little.

"Something like that. So are you here for filming?" Her tone drops to a conspiratorial whisper.

"Well, I think my managers would both be super mad at me if I said too much, but yeah, we're chasing a lead here."

"Managers? Did something happen with Morgan?" The woman asks.

"Oh, nah, she's right over there." I turn and point to Morgan. "But Mads is jumping in on this one too. Don't tell anyone though, it's going to be a surprise for the next episode." I throw in a conspiratorial wink.

"I would never! Well, I guess you're probably just here to relax right now, and I wouldn't want to get in the way, so I'll let you go. I'm looking forward to the episode."

"Thanks! What's your name, I'll give you a shoutout."

"Margaret."

"Got it, see you later!" I wave as Margaret wades off, following after her friends.

"You got so lucky there." Morgan says. I turn to see her sitting on the edge of the pool with Abigail.

"It was just my natural charm."

"I'm sure."

"Also a little bit of luck I guess." I concede. Abigail and Morgan laugh a little. Morgan's laughter makes my heart skip a beat. It astounds me that even now she still gives me butterflies. "So, you guys getting in or what?"

** Maddie **

_Music:[Warm Wishes](https://youtu.be/3F0azdWEeO4)_

It's midday when I wake up. I've only gotten four hours of sleep, and it feels like it, but I know that if I don't get up I'll be asleep all day, and fixing my sleep schedule will be a nightmare.

With some effort I pull myself out of bed, and get dressed again. I don't remember undressing, but I'm glad I did. With how I've left the bed, I have no doubt my clothes would be a mess.

Once I'm done I stumble into the kitchen to see if we've got anything in our fridge. The answer, unsurprisingly, is no. Well, there's a large pitcher of water in there, but that's it. It'll do, I concede, as I pull it out and pour myself a glass.

Now that I'm awake enough to process it, our hotel room is nice. It's actually several rooms, with a bedroom, kitchen and living room. It's a nice change from the past experiences of sharing a hotel room with Tara. I can't imagine going back to doing that.

Thankfully, with Morgan, I know I won't have to. Tara wants her time with her girlfriend just as much as I want mine with mine.

Next to the living room there's a balcony, that looks out over the pools, and then down to the beach. I step out onto it, and lean on the railing. A gentle breeze brings me the whole suite of ocean smells, and the reality of this trip starts to sink in properly.

It's perfect. The ocean is gorgeous. The pool below looks incredible too, perfectly decorated to match the atmosphere of the island.

I'm struck by a single, fascinating thought. Even though they're worlds apart, something about Holloway Island reminds me of Eysenfeld and Arkrick.

It takes me a second to place the feeling. It's the cohesiveness. All three are their own little slices of the world, seperate from everything else. The kinds of places you can imagine as the only place in the universe of a novel.

Obviously, there's some exceptions to that. Holloway Island wouldn't have a resort, or an airstrip, if it was the only place in the universe. At least, logically it wouldn't, but somehow it feels so on brand, even if no one ever visited, it feels right to me.

I take a sip of water. It's some of the most delicious water I've ever tasted. I'll have to inquire about it later and see if it's bottled or something. I suspect I'm going to be having a lot of experiences like this for the next month.

Honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.

I look down at the pool. There's not a lot of people there, so I can easily make out the red, orange and pink hairs of the others. That does explain why it's been so peaceful. It's about what I expected. I don't mind, they can have their fun for now.

I unfortunately, do not have that luxury. I walk back into the hotel room, and head over to my bag to start unpacking. We did a bunch of research before we came, but there's only so much one can do at a distance.

The hotel knows we're coming, but I want to make sure they'll be ready for us tomorrow. Then I need to review my notes on the ghost. It wouldn't be very good if I forgot an important fact during our first shooting. Redoing shots is a pain, and ideally we'll only have to spend a week filming in the hotel, then we can build up a filler story to surround it.

The amount of times we film the arrival preamble after we've filmed the main bulk of the episode both shocks and amuses me. I've often wondered if that's the norm. From my time working on Taranormal, I'm starting to suspect that it is.

I take a sip of water and turn my attention to my laptop. Time to get started.

My stomach growls.

Perhaps a quick detour to find a snack first would be a better idea.

I know the key will be on the bedside table before I get there. Abigail and I have been living together long enough that we have a solid grasp on where the other puts things. I snatch the key, and slip out into the hall to see what I can find.

It takes me a hot second to navigate the hallways, but I find my way back to the elevators. As I'd hoped, there's a pair of vending machines, one for snacks and the other for drinks. I grab a bag of chips, and head back to the room to get started.

The work isn't remotely hard. I still remember most of the things in my notes, and the refresher feels pointless.

It's not, and I know that. Until I can quote back half a page it's not a waste of time. But it feels like it. The beginning prompt of one sentence leads my brain to produce the next two on it's own, and I'm simply making sure the information is correct each time.

It always is. Within the hour I've put it aside, and opened my emails with the hotel to send them a final confirmation. It's not much of a mental detour, but it's enough to break the monotony.

Then it's back to reading. And reading. And reading.

Finally, my thoughts are interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

_Music:[The Time of Smiling](https://youtu.be/7G4qv_uv2L8)_

Abigail, Tara, and Morgan all pile through the door. They're clearly trying to be quiet, but Tara is a bit too eager to get in. She trips as she tries to hurry Abigail in, and the two of them collapse to the ground with a loud thud.

Behind them Morgan quickly scopes out the room. It takes her a second to spot me from my position in the living room, sitting on the floor in front of the table.

"Sorry, I tried to warn them." She calls out to me.

"It's fine. So long as they're not hurt." I reply.

"I'm okay!" Tara calls.

"I think you broke something." Abigail groans from underneath her. The two of them peel themselves apart. Abigail winces a little, but as soon as she sees me her face lights up, and she practically skips across the room.

"Are you okay?" I ask as she parks herself next to me.

"I think so. Tara is surprisingly heavy for looking like nothing but skin and bones." Abigail replies. Tara scowls at her.

"Hey! I work out all the time!" She protests.

"We know. You make sure to brag about it every time. We've also seen how much you eat. In my opinion, you're lucky to just be skin and bones." I reply. Morgan laughs softly, while Tara stares at me, mouth agape. She's trying so hard to look offended. She's not particularly succeeding however.

"Sorry to disturb you. We weren't sure if you'd be awake, but since some of us started getting hungry, I thought we should come and check on you." Morgan explains as she comes to join Abigail and I at the table.

"No worries. I was just reveiwing all of my research to make sure that I remembered everything that mattered."

"Did you?" Tara asks.

"Unfortunately I don't think I could forget it if I tried." I sigh softly.

"Well, step up from our last two trips right?"

"Yeah, you're right about that much at least." For a second the tension hangs in the air, as we all reflect on our past trips. It's gone just as quickly.

"So, if you're not busy, does that mean we can think about dinner?" Abigail asks. I frown. It's not that late is it? The sun's still up after all. I glance at the clock on my laptop.

It's almost 6:30. I guess I've been working a lot longer than I thought. As if to point that out, my stomach rumbles a little bit.

"You know, dinner sounds good." I reply. "Do we have anything in mind?"

"There was this super cool looking bar down by the pool. We asked, and they do food starting just after sunset!" Tara explains.

"She means she asked." Morgan says.

"I'm sure Mads doesn't care who asked. So, can we go? Can we, can we, can we?" Tara stares at me with puppy dog eyes. It's honestly a little uncomfortable being the decision maker in these things when Morgan is sitting right there. Up until this trip she'd be the one making these decisions, and seeing how quickly Tara defaults back to me is unsettling.

Morgan doesn't seem the least bit fussed at least. If anything she looks amused. I guess I can't blame her. I'd absolutely pass the buck of dealing with Tara if I could sometimes.

"Fine, we can go tonight. But we should look around the island and try other things as well, no matter how good it is."

"Yes! You're the best Mads!"

"We should go get changed then." Morgan announces, climbing to her feet. Tara jumps up.

"Alright, see you girls later!" The two of them head off through a door next to our room's door. I'd wondered where that lead. I imagine it was explained when we arrived. I don't remember much once we got into the resort building.

"Did you sleep well?" Abigail asks as soon as we're alone. I nod.

"Well enough yeah. I tried not to sleep too long, so I can actually get some sleep tonight."

"Not if I have anything to say about it."

"We'd never sleep if it was up to you."

"Well, that's your fault for being so alluring."

"Should I get a potato sack to wear when we get home?"

"Somehow I think you'd pull it off." I look over at Abigail. She bats her eyelashes at me in response, before laughing softly. I can't help but join in.

"I love you so much. We should get ready to head down."

"We should." Abigail agrees. She makes no move to get up. Instead she leans over and kisses me. "But I think they'll both be taking showers, and I need to get out of these clothes first so..." I roll my eyes.

"You are truly insatiable, you know that?"

"We just had a long plane ride and then you had to sleep. I think it's entirely reasonable." Abigail protests softly. I give her a quick kiss to hush her.

"There are some couples who go a week without sleeping together you know."

"Well that's their problem. I really only care about us right now." Abigail teases. I roll my eyes, and wrap my arms around her.

"Alright, you win." I say. Abigail practically sqeuals in joy, and begins planting kisses along my neck. It's all I can do not to squeal back at the sudden stimulation.

** Morgan **

After a short discussion, Tara and I decided to shower together to save time. By the time we can pull ourselves away from each other, I realize we would have been better off showering individually.

By the time we're out the sun's started setting, and I'm starving. Though that's probably more to do with the energy we burnt in the shower than anything else.

We both get dressed, and I knock on the door to the other room.

"Coming!" Maddie calls from the other side. The door opens a crack and Maddie peers through.

"You ready to go?" I ask.

"Give us a minute and we'll meet you downstairs." Maddie replies. I nod.

"Sure." Tara and I head downstairs to wait in the lobby. Now that the sun is setting the pool and beach outside look completely different.

_Music:[Warm Wishes](https://youtu.be/3F0azdWEeO4)_

The sun reflects off the water, casting a beautiful spectrum of colour. Meanwhile, on the beach the dying light is replaced with flaming torches forming long lines to give definition to the water beyond, and help people find the cabanas scattered around the sand.

The pool has a similar treatment, lit up by the torches, creating a gorgeous, warm atmosphere. It's unlike anything I've ever seen. I reach out and take Tara's hand as we stare at it.

"Thank you."

"Huh? What did I do?"

"For bringing me here. For taking me from Eysenfeld and letting me see the world. For...everything. Thank you."

"Well, uh...yeah, no problem babe." Tara replies. She stammers awkwardly, and pauses a bit as she speaks, clearly thinking about exactly what words to use. It's cute.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" Abigail calls across the lobby as she comes skipping over. Maddie walks a few paces behind her.

"Abigail didn't realize she'd need a shower after swimming in the pool." Maddie explains.

"Well, how was I supposed to know that you put chlo-reen in it? Why would you even ruin the water like that?" Abigail protests.

"Oh yeah, we only ever swam at the beach huh." Tara remarks. Abigail nods.

"At least the ocean makes sense. It's so big, no one could control what goes into it. But a small pool like that shouldn't be an issue." She says.

"You did explain to her what happens if there's no chlorine right?" I ask. Maddie nods.

"I tried to at least." She replies.

"Alright, now that we're all here, let's get going!" Tara declares.

"Lead the way." Maddie replies. Tara marches out of the lobby, the rest of us in tow. She doesn't have far to go. We can already see the bar from here. I'm not sure if calling it a bar is correct. It's a large open-air structure designed to look like a cabana on the beach. In the middle I can make out a kitchen, mostly obscured by the decorations that hang on the walls to make it feel more like a bar. There is a bar to eat at of course, which runs all around the structure. It's a bit lower than most bars, allowing for more comfortable seats to be placed around it. It looks nice, and I'm honestly excited to eat there.

Tara walks up to one of the people manning the bar, a large native man, tanned and fit. He flashes a grin at us as we approach.

"Seats for four, yes?" He asks. He's got a bit of an accent, but I can't place it. It makes him sound friendly and jovial, if nothing else.

"That's right my man!" Tara says, shooting finger guns at him. He gestures to four seats on one end of the bar, and we all settle into them. Tara and Maddie sit on either end, allowing Abigail and I to sit next to each other.

We're brought menus, and for a minute we sit in silence, reading over the menus trying to work out what to have. Everything here claims to be native food, but I suspect that's only half true. There's enough American-isms in the menu that I suspect it's native food that's been curated for tourists.

Finally, we've all picked out what we want, and place our orders. Once that's done, Tara leans forward to talk down the line.

"So, Mads. How's the book coming?" She asks.

"I'm waiting for the editor to get back to me about any more changes he thinks we need." Maddie replies. In between everything, she and Tara have been working on the book about Eysenfeld that Tara had been offered a deal for. Technically, they were supposed to write half of it each. In practice, Maddie has been editting most of Tara's bits to make them more readable.

"Awesome. I wonder what we're going to call it." Tara says.

"What I'm going to call it." Maddie corrects.

"Huh? What do you mean? It's our baby! Of course I'm going to help name it." Tara protests.

"Do you remember what happened last time you named something without me?" Maddie asks. I can't help but smile.

"No one liked it." Tara replies.

"And it almost tanked your brand." Maddie adds.

"And you lost a bunch of interviews!" Abigail pitches in.

"Well, it's not my fault no one else understands my genius." Tara pouts. "I mean, it was a completely accurate title. I did tell everyone so!"

"Oh, you're right. I can't imagine how you openly gloating in your new title could ever go over poorly." Maddie teases. "At least you changed it back after three episodes."

"It definitely didn't help that we didn't find anything in those three episodes." I add. Tara lets out a loud, defeated sigh as she slumps onto the bar.

"You're all the worst." She says. She clearly doesn't mean it.

Her sulking comes to an abrupt end as the food arrives. She immediately perks up as a massive plate of lobster is placed in front of her.

"But these guys are the best."

"Thank you miss. We hope you all enjoy." The bartender replies.

"Tara. Please don't drink too much tonight. I don't want to deal with hangovers on my first day back to filming." Maddie says, as she picks up her own drink and takes a sip.

"I know, I know. Now, no more work talk. Let's eat, and have fun!" Tara declares.

And so, we do.

\--*--

_Music:[Why am I here?](https://youtu.be/-MflER_nWkk)_

Tara passes out quickly after we get back to the hotel room. Despite her promise to Maddie, she ended up having three drinks, and had to lean on me as we went back to our room.

At least she was the only one, and I know she'll be fine in the morning. It's one of the upsides of dating a lightweight. She can't hold enough alcohol down to actually be hungover.

I spend an hour watching videos on my laptop, before I decide that I'm not tired enough to sleep, and I'm not interested enough in the videos to keep watching. I slip out of the room, and head down to the lobby, hoping to find something to do, or at least some snacks to eat.

I find the snacks next to the elevator in the lobby. There's a few vending machines, so I grab a drink and a packet of chips. I don't just want to go back yet, so I go out to look at the pool.

I'm not sure what I'm looking for. I just think I'll know if I see it.

Sure enough, I know when I spot Maddie lying on one of the deck chairs, drink in hand, staring up at the night sky. I walk over and lay in the one next to her.

"Can't sleep?" I ask.

"Not yet at least." Maddie replies. "I guess that nap lasted a bit too long after all."

"Oh well, it's not that late yet anyway."

"Yeah. You're right. I'm sure we'll be staying up this late most nights. If only because Tara wants to play on the beach."

"There's no reason you still have to stay up for that." I reply. I immediately regret the words, and glance over at Maddie. She doesn't seem fussed.

I've always sort of worried that she might feel like I'm trying to replace her. I'm not. I'm sure she knows that. But sometimes I still worry.

"If Tara's playing on the beach I'm sure Abigail will want to join her." Maddie says. She takes another sip of her drink before continuing. "Besides, it'd be fun. And that's...kinda what we're here for, isn't it?"

"Kinda, yeah." I agree. Sure, we're here to hunt a ghost. But there's a clear undercurrent to the whole thing. Tara just wants to celebrate her best friend coming back to the show. I can't blame her for that. "Think we'll find anything?"

"No. Not for a second." Maddie replies with a soft laugh. "It sounds like every other tourist trap of a haunting we've seen before." I laugh too.

"Yeah. Do you think it'll make a good episode at least?"

"With all of us here? Yeah. I think it'll be one of the most viewed episodes we put out for a while." Maddie replies. "Not that I think you're doing a bad job or anything. We can just, y'know, plaster 'The Return of Maddie' all over the thumbnail and people will click it."

"I know what you meant. The few episodes you've guest-starred in have been among the best ones." I say. "I think people miss you."

"I'm sure they love you too. I've read the comments."

"So have I. They're not always nice."

"Yeah, I guess." Maddie replies. There's a touch of concern in her voice, but I can't place the exact emotion. "But that's just like, the internet, y'know? I had to go through so many hate comments when we first started. It was a nightmare."

"I can imagine."

"Like, this one guy would comment on every video, saying something about Tara getting the facts wrong. Then he'd insist that our sources were bad, and throw in a link to "something more reputable". It was always just his blog. It was like, so strange. And then one day he just vanished." Maddie explains. She's smiling as she tells the story, and I can't help but join in.

"I think I remember seeing a few of his comments. Didn't he one time also complain about Tara's hair?"

"More than one time, yeah. It's just...what happens. It's why I didn't like getting in front of the camera."

"I understand. I didn't think I'd want to either, but Tara's energy is infectious."

"You're way better at it than I am. I mean, you have your entire workout routine video series that you do basically by yourself."

"Tara's there too."

"She's fangirling in your general vicinity. That's almost the same as not being there."

"I guess you're right." Maddie laughs.

"It's so strange. She was all excited for you to be fangirling over her when you met, and now it's basically the other way around." I laugh too. A comfortable silence falls for a few minutes. Finally Maddie breaks it.

"You're really good for her. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that. I just. I dunno. I thought someone should say it." She says.

"...Thanks. That...actually means a lot." I reply.

"No problem." Maddie throws back her drink, finishing whatever was left of it. "I should head to bed."

"Yeah."

"Are you coming?"

"In a few. Good night Maddie."

"Good night." Maddie waves, and walks off, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I stare up at the sky, and all the stars. They're good thoughts.

Thoughts about our family. About the show. About our home. About everything I've found since I met them. And about Tara. Who I should get back to. I climb to my feet, and head back upstairs to get some rest. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed! Comments etc. appreciated as they fuel my drive to write more of this trainwreck.


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